Feasibility of engaging older adults living with multiple long-term conditions, frailty, and a recent deterioration in health in a study of lifestyle: protocol for the LiLL-OPM study

Community-dwelling older adults living with multiple long-term conditions (MLTC), frailty and a recent deterioration in health are underserved by research. This results in a limited evidence base for their care, including the potential benefits of lifestyle interventions such as structured exercise. The aims of the LiLL-OPM (Lifestyle in Later Life - Older People’s Medicine) study are to determine if it is feasible to carry out a research project with these patients, describe their health and lifestyle, their attitudes to engaging in exercise and their experiences of taking part in the research. Older adults who are attending an Older People’s Medicine Day Unit service in Newcastle, UK, and their informal carers will be invited to take part. The study will use mixed methods with semi-structured interviews and a health and lifestyle questionnaire, carried out in a way that is most convenient to participants, including in their own homes and with a flexible schedule of study visits. The findings from the feasibility study will provide invaluable data on how to design research, including the most suitable approaches to recruitment and data collection. This will improve the inclusion in research of older adults living with MLTC, frailty and a recent deterioration in health.